THQ defends anti-pre-owned tactics

THQ chief Brian Farrell says the publisher must monetise used games and has called on retail to help.

The outspoken exec says the firm needs to capture more of the value chain, but insists this is not an attack on the High Street.

He told MCV that THQ will help retailers make money from DLC, but the relationship between publishers and stores needs to be more ‘give and take.’

“We work with all of our retailers and we understand their business models,” said Farrell. “Our point is that we are making these huge investments in project developments, sometimes in licences and marketing, and we need to make sure we capture that value chain.

“Retail is now thinking about ways they can participate in DLC and some of these second user charges that we’re doing. We are not trying to push retail aside. We are saying we need to monetise as well because it is our investment. We will work with our retailers but it needs to be more of a give and take.”

Farrell has been outspoken in his views on pre-owned, with the publisher introducing second user charges with its most recent UFC release.

Players who purchased UFC 2010 second-hand would have to pay an additional fee if they wanted to play online. And the exec says the money generated from this activity proves how popular used games are.

“What we saw when we did the online charge for the second purchaser of UFC, we found a pretty good attach rate – it confirmed out suspicion that there are a lot of people participating in used games,” he said.

“We would like to find a way to reward gamers for purchasing first. We need to think of our customers and not be punitive to people who buy second-hand.”

MCV is the leading trade news and community site for all professionals working within the UK and international video games market. It reaches everyone from store manager to CEO, covering the entire industry. MCV is published by NewBay Media, which specialises in entertainment, leisure and technology markets.